LOOP — Lunchtime strollers on Wednesday got an eyeful near Monroe and LaSalle streets — a half-dozen brightly colored cars that are part of a new sci-fi TV show being filmed in Chicago.
The cars are being used in an upcoming Amazon show, "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams," described as an anthology series showcasing the writing of Dick, whose works previously have been adapted into such blockbusters as “Blade Runner,” “Total Recall” and “Minority Report.”
The Chevrolet compacts are completely shrink-wrapped in plastic, including the windows, and they attracted a stream of camera phone-equipped gawkers. A placard on a LaSalle light pole identified the show.
Intrepid Chicago film set spotter @filming_chicago alerted his 20,000-plus Twitter followers with this tweet:
Assume these are picture cars for Electric Dreams? pic.twitter.com/6JFDYSEmDB
— Filming in Chicago (@filming_chicago) May 31, 2017
Here are some more shots taken at midday:
An air date for the show has not been announced, though Steve Buscemi and Greg Kinnear are among those taking guest star roles, Variety reports.
The state says that filmmakers spent $499 million in Illinois last year, taking advantage of attractive tax benefits, a skilled local workforce and diverse shooting locations. A 30 percent tax credit is awarded to productions buying Illinois goods and services, including wages paid to Illinois residents.
The state's film office worked with 345 television, commercial and film projects that generated 13,377 non-extra job hires in 2016, according to the Illinois Commerce Department.
